New Mexico’s Meow Wolf Raises Minimum Wage To $17 An Hour

Santa Fe's Meow Wolf is doing their part to support their employees and give them a livable wage at the art collective. Meow Wolf has made Santa Fe even more of a tourist destination for lovers of art, beauty, and creativity due to their world famous art collective. Born in 2008, Meow Wolf receives hundreds of thousands of visitors and includes a children's learning center, a cafe and gift shop as well as a music venue inside of the art collective. Rapper/Singer T-Pain even shot his new music video at Meow Wolf earlier this year. CEO/founder Vince Kadlubek is a visionary who has worked since the beginning to make Meow Wolf a catalyst of change for Santa Fe, New Mexico and now the world. Their newest sculpture is a life-sized 82-foot-long blue whale sculpture that glows at night. It's made out of recycled detergent bottles and milk jugs, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican, and Meow Wolf hopes to bring awareness to plastic pollution through the art piece.

Another way that Meow Wolf is making a difference is in their own backyard, through their workers. The cost of living in Santa Fe is difficult for many to be able to afford a home within city limits. Only about 50% of those who work in Santa Fe are living in the city, which is a shockingly low amount. People are forced to commute or rent homes that are at the top of their price range, or worse, higher than they should be paying. Meow Wolf is now doing their part by raising their minimum wage even more, to over $5 above the state's minimum wage. In New Mexico, the minimum wage went up to 11.80 an hour in March and Meow Wolf have now raised their minimum wage to $17 an hour. CEO Vince Kadlubek cites Santa Fe's high cost of living as one of the reasons why:

"We have bumped up Meow Wolf's minimum wage to $17/hr. Truth is... our housing situation is so bad, (the) cost of living is so high, we gotta step up to support our employees. Plus... they rule. Our team absolutely rules. Our staff at House of Eternal Return are incredible, committed, and deal with an amazing amount of people -- and do it with integrity and care. Psyched to be able to do this, and challenge other businesses to step up and do the same. WORKERS NEED REAL LIVING WAGES."

Another amazing job by the company to make a positive difference for people. Meow Wolf has become a company that other businesses should look at for how a company can keep its employees satisfied and have high retention. Not to mention loyalty to a company due to their treatment of their staff. Another reason I love going to visit and support their amazing work. Don't forget, Meow Wolf in Denver and Las Vegas will be opening in 2020! Two more locations for you to see some incredible work by some of the most creative and bright minds in the US.